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Daniel Bell-Drummond’s second highest score in first-class cricket allowed Kent to take charge of their County Championship Division Two clash with Middlesex on day three at Lord’s.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 31-year-old Kent skipper, took his overnight 103 not out to 223 as the visitors piled up 473 all out.<\/p>\n
Jamal Richards (43), Joey Evison (35) and Chris Benjamin (34) all shared half-century stands with the right-hander as the Middlesex bowlers were ground into the dirt, Toby-Roland-Jones taking 3-107 for match figures of 8-140.<\/p>\n
Left to better a record fourth innings winning score against Kent harping back more than 100 years to the days of the legendary Patsy Hendren, Middlesex stumbled to 81-3 at stumps, two wickets for Evison.<\/p>\n
With the visitors already 117 ahead, Middlesex needed early wickets and they weren’t without opportunities. After edging a four to the vacant third, Bell-Drummond was rapped on the pad by Dane Paterson, moving swiftly leg-side of the wicket as the home side’s pleads for lbw were not upheld.<\/p>\n
If that was unlucky Middlesex’s next wound was self-inflicted, Ryan Higgins failing to cling on to Evison’s slash to gully before the batter had added to his overnight score. <\/p>\n
The drop proved costly as by the time Henry Brookes held a caught and bowled at the second grab, the all-rounder, helped by a towering six back over the head of spinner Zafar Gohar had added 62 with Bell-Drummond.<\/p>\n
Any hope the new ball would bring further reward soon evaporated, a Bell-Drummond edge wide of a diving second slip the closest they came to another breakthrough.<\/p>\n
That scare survived, Bell-Drummond, whose highest first-class score of 300 not out came two summers ago against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, crunched a lovely on-drive to the fence at mid-on before his 21st four, a cut behind point took him past 150 on the stroke of lunch.<\/p>\n
Upon the resumption, Bell-Drummond was becalmed, only adding a single boundary in the afternoon session. Wicketkeeper Benjamin though played positively, four boundaries helping him to 34 out of a stand of 74 before Higgins snuck one between bat and pad to trim the bails.<\/p>\n
Debutant Richards came out on a pair and was given a life on four, Ben Geddes failing to cling on to a low catch at second slip.<\/p>\n
As with Evison earlier, Richards made Middlesex pay, a thunderous straight drive the pick of his five fours in an entertaining 43 ended when he was harshly adjudged leg before to a ball from Gohar which appeared to strike him outside leg stump.<\/p>\n
Bell-Drummond continued on, marshalling the tail, to the point of refusing singles to protect George Garrett, even though the lead was beyond 300.<\/p>\n
A tickled single to square leg took him to 200, after which he smote three huge sixes before being last man out caught at third.<\/p>\n
The target of 365 was exactly 50 more than Middlesex’s previous best successful fourth-innings chase against Kent, a total of 315-5 made at Lord’s in 1921.<\/p>\n
The gargantuan task was made more difficult when Sam Robson was bowled by a beauty from Garrett with only nine on the board.<\/p>\n
Max Holden flourished briefly in a stand of 53 for the second wicket with the obdurate Stephen Eskinazi, but Evison flattened his off-stump, before having nightwatchman Brookes caught a slip by Zak Crawley to leave the hosts in the mire.<\/p>\n
ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n